Featured Advice

Careers rarely develop the way we plan them. Our career path often takes many twists and turns, with particular events, choices and people influencing our direction.

We asked Shane Bergin from Smart Futures to give some advice for people considering this job:

Science research and lecturing needs people who are curious, creative, stubborn (they like problems that take ages to solve). You need to like communication – you’ll be teaching, writing, debating and discussing science all day, everyday. If you like to be challenged intellectually, are creative about ways to solve problems, like working with teams people from the four corners of the world, then science is for you. It’s more David Attenborough than Sheldon Cooper.

Featured Content

Self Assessment

What are your interests?

Investigative?

The Investigative person will usually find a particular area of science to be of interest. They are inclined toward intellectual and analytical activities and enjoy observation and theory. They may prefer thought to action, and enjoy the challenge of solving problems with clever technology. They will often follow the latest developments in their chosen field, and prefer mentally stimulating environments.

The Irish League of Credit Unions reports that nine out of ten parents support their child through third-level education, contributing an average of €428 a month. When tuition and registration fees are added into the mix, the average cost of going to college in Ireland is reported to be almost €10,000 a year. The latest Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Cost of Living Survey found that the average cost for students living away from home in Dublin is €11,766 per year.

Every year around 20% of students drop out of college, often due to financial pressure, yet, only one-third of students are eligible for the full SUSIstudent grant.